A list of dental schools ranked is an invaluable tool when thinking about how to become a dentist and how long does it take to become a dentist. A dental schools ranked list could give you insights into which program, either in the US or Canada, is the right one for you based on several factors, such as dental school acceptance rates, number of degree options, or the cost of attendance. We know that you might decide to choose a dental school for your own reasons, and that’s what you should do, but if you haven’t yet decided on a school, this article will still give you a rankings list of the best dental schools in the US and the best dental schools in Canada based on one single factor that we’ll explain afterward, along with tips for how to get into these programs.
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Dental Schools Ranked: The Best Dental Schools in the US
This dental schools ranked list will breakdown the best dental schools in the US by their acceptance rate, but we’ll start with the easiest dental schools to get into, and then proceed to the hardest dental schools to get into. We don’t put much value into any dental schools ranked list, but rating dental schools based on acceptance rate is one way to make the process of picking a school easier for you. Other lists like to rank dental schools based on things like exclusivity or reputation, but we think the schools that offer easier paths to becoming a dentist should also be recognized.
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1. East Carolina University School of Dental Medicine
Acceptance Rate: 15.8%
Average GPA: 3.6
Average DAT: 20.5
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $294,778
2. ATSU Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health
Acceptance Rate: 13.8%
Average GPA: 3.43
Average DAT: 19.62
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $362,056
3. Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University
Acceptance Rate: 9.72%
In-State Acceptance Rate: 8.9%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 0.8%
Average GPA: 3.75
Average DAT: 21
Total Four-Year, In-State Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $105,384
Total Four-Year, Out-of-State Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $259,112
4. Ohio State University College of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 12.55%
Average GPA: 3.56
Average DAT: 21
Total In-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $351,492
Total Out-of-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $596,068
5. University of Minnesota School of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 10.21%
Average GPA: 3.7
Average DAT: 21
Total In-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $358,939
Total Out-of-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $537,922
6. University of Missouri Kansas City School of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 12.8%
Average GPA: 3.7
Average DAT: 21
Total In-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $165,936
Total Out-of-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $328,408
7. University of Utah School of Medicine
Acceptance Rate: 10.44%
Average GPA: 3.79
Average DAT: 22
Total In-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $175,704
Total Out-of-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $332,424
8. University of Washington School of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 9.13%
In-State Acceptance Rate: 7.3%
Average GPA: 3.79
Average DAT: 22
Total In-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $420,265
Total Out-of-State Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $551,983
9. New York University School of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 12.5%
Average GPA: 3.5
Average DAT Score: 21
Total Cost of Attendance: $158,146
10. University of Puerto Rico School of Dental Medicine
Acceptance Rate: 10.5%
Average GPA: 3.5
Average DAT Score: 21
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $213,069
11. LSU Health Science Center School of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 9.33%
Average GPA: 3.5
Average DAT Score: 21
Total In-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $140,564
Total Out-of-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $255,476
12. University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry Dental Clinic
Acceptance Rate: 9.33%
Average GPA: 3.62
Average DAT Score: 21
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $479,716
13. The University of Iowa College of Dentistry and Dental Clinics
Acceptance Rate: 9.3%
Average GPA: 3.71
Average DAT Score: 21
Total In-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $283,171
Total Out-of-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $383,723
14. University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry
Overall Acceptance Rate: 8.1%
In-State Acceptance Rate: 5%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 3.14%
Average GPA: 3.74
Average DAT Score: 20
Total In-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $325,445
Total Out-of-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $499,220
15. University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine
Overall Acceptance Rate: 8.1%
In-State Acceptance Rate: 5%
Out-of-State Acceptance Rate: 3.14%
Average GPA: 3.74
Average DAT Score: 20
Total In-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $222,213
Total Out-of-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $367,908
16. University of New England College of Dental Medicine
Acceptance Rate: 8.13%
Average GPA: 3.48
Average DAT Score: 19.3
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $210,370
17. Loma Linda University School of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 6.9%
Average GPA: 3.47
Average DAT Score: 21.01
Total Cost of Attendance: $93,701
18. Indiana University School of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 8.58%
Average GPA: 3.6
Average DAT Score: 19.9
Total In-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $338,833
Total Out-of-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $555,241
19. Oregon Health & Science University School of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 8.58%
Average GPA: 3.73
Average DAT Score: 21.02
Total In-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $191,936
Total Out-of-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $309,776
20. The University of Tennessee College of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 7.2%
Average GPA: 3.6
Average DAT Score: 20
Total In-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $335,315
Total Out-of-State, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $492,683
Dental Schools Ranked: Best Dental Schools in Canada
1. University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 17.14%
Average GPA: 3.93
Average DAT Score: AA-22; PAT-20
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $202,392
2. University of British Columbia Faculty of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 15.87%
Average GPA: 85%
Average DAT Score: 21.8
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $241,927
3. Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University
Acceptance Rate: 12.99%
Average GPA: 88.6%
Average DAT Score: 21
Total In-Province Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $141,364
Total Out-of-Province, Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $155,852
4. University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 10%
In-Province Acceptance Rate: 8.75%
Out-of-Province Acceptance Rate: 0.93%
Average GPA: 3.89
Average DAT Score: 22
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $123,508
5. University of Manitoba Niznick College of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 10%
In-Province Acceptance Rate: 8.75%
Out-of-Province Acceptance Rate: 0.93%
Average GPA: 3.89
Average DAT Score: 22
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $97,229
6. University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 10%
Average GPA: 88.5%
Average DAT Score: 20.56
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $163,704
Total Out-of-Province, Four Year Cost of Attendance (tuition-only): $245,556
7. Dalhousie University Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 8.9%
In-Province Acceptance Rate: 5.3%
Out-of-Province Acceptance Rate: 0.44%
Average GPA: 3.7
Average DAT Score: 19
Total Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $208,594
8. McGill University Faculty of Dentistry
Acceptance Rate: 4.5%
In-Province Acceptance Rate: 3.2%
Average GPA: 3.85
Average DAT Score: not required
Total In-Province, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $61,833
Total Out-of-Province, Four-Year Cost of Attendance: $106,851
Dental Schools Ranked: What to Look for in a Dental School?
Choosing a dental school that is right for you is not easy. You have to take into consideration so many things that will ultimately make the difference, such as cost, location, length of program, and many other factors. While this dental schools ranked list relied mostly on the best acceptance rates, you may have other concerns in mind, such as class size, level of graduate debt or graduation rates, which are all important things to consider. So, if you are not that interested in dental schools ranked by acceptance rate, the following list are some other factors you might consider when choosing the best dental school for you.
1. Cost
Dental school is expensive, which means you will usually have to take out loans, apply for scholarships or participate in work/study programs to help cover your costs. According to the American Dental Association, the average debt load of dental school graduates is around $293,900. In Canada, it’s about $100,000. But one of the ways that you can avoid exorbitant tuition, fees, and cost-of-living expenses is by choosing a school close to you, preferably in your state or province. A majority of these schools charge different rates based on your residency, so you can save a significant amount of money if you choose a local, publicly-funded state school instead of going out-of-state or to an elite, Ivy League school. Considering the cost and how long it takes to pay back dental student loans (between 10 to 20 years) may also make you think twice about why do you want to become a dentist and whether dentistry is the right path for you.
2. Location
Where your preferred dental school or schools are located matters not only for your dental school tuition but for many reasons. Location matters a lot and is usually reflective of the person you are and your lifestyle. If you’re a person who loves the city, then you’d pick something like NYU Dentistry or the UCLA School of Dentistry. If you’re someone who prefers quiet, collegiate town, then a school such as Ohio State or the Schulich School of Dentistry at Western University might be a better option. “Why this dental school?” is a common dental school interview question, so having a genuine reason, unique to you, about why this particular school could impress your interviewers and put you over the top. The distance between your hometown and your school is also something that many students should consider, and whether they are comfortable with being far away or prefer staying close to home, family and loved ones.
3. Curriculum/Teaching Style
Dental school curricula, like medical school curricula, vary between the many different dental schools in the US and dental schools in Canada. Dental school curricula are also key markers of what a dental school prioritizes. Some may emphasize the technical, scientific and medical science behind dentistry, while others may skew towards a curriculum that helps develop your doctoring or interpersonal skills or give you a broader education on the non-medical, but social, aspects of dentistry and being a dentist. Many schools integrate both threads into the curriculum and maybe you feel that type of focus would be best for you, depending on the type of dentistry you want to practice and the type of dentist you want to be.
4. School’s Mission/Community Outreach
Reviewing and assessing a dental school based on its mission and the ways it gives back to its community are also important things to consider. Your dental school experience may only last four years, but if you are truly aligned with a school’s mission and its commitment to patient care, the relationship you have with the school can last the rest of your life, if you decide to become a member of the alumni association. Nearly all of the dental schools ranked here also double as major oral healthcare providers and some regularly see thousands of patients every month, some of whom you’ll be treating during your clinical years. So, you should review things like how many patients the school treats, how many clinics it has open to the public, what kind of care they offer, whether they have any electives involving global or international clinics in developing countries to make your decision.
5. Graduate Outcomes
Many dental schools in the US and Canada publish information on the success of their graduates, but mostly in terms of whether they passed their state and national board licensing exams. Some include other information about post-doctorate acceptance rates, and Match rates for dental residents. But in terms of finishing their dental school program, all of the schools listed here have near-perfect completion rates, along with very high passing rates for their board exams, but if you’re stuck between two or more similar programs, graduate outcomes and reading graduate stories about specific faculty, classes, or dental school extracurriculars can make the difference for you about whether the program is worth it or not.
Dental Schools Ranked: Do Dental School Rankings Matter?
Dental schools ranked can be useful only in the context of giving you as much information about particular programs in the US and Canada, but you shouldn't take them as the final word on what makes a dental school great, or not. There are many top-flight dental schools that we did not mention here, even though they usually feature on most other dental schools ranked lists. But those other lists privilege or highlight the richest and most expensive programs in the US without paying any attention to other, perhaps intangible, factors, such as student satisfaction, the culture of a school and how it gives back to its community.
These are the type of things that you could miss out on if you take traditional dental schools ranked lists as gospel and don’t do some exploring of your own. If you have the means and time, you should visit these schools to get a first-hand look. But, before that, you can also approach them online and write to them asking about things important to you, such as:
- What kind of support services do you have for students?
- What is the school policy on inclusion, diversity, equality?
- What do current students like/dislike about the program?
Doing your own research and writing to these schools may take up a lot of time; time that you might not have if you are compiling your dental school application or following a strict DAT study schedule, but if you're going to make a commitment as large and as expensive as going to dental school, you should try to answer the questions that are important to you to make your decision.
Dental Schools Ranked: What you Need to Get into Dental School
1. Have Better-than-the-Minimum GPA or DAT Scores
Some dental schools have minimum GPA and DAT scores for you to apply, but you should not be satisfied with meeting a GPA or DAT minimum, unless there are some extenuating circumstances behind it (you’re a mature student, student parent, etc.) which you can highlight in your dental school personal statement. Raising your GPA can be difficult, and you may have to take a post-bac or master’s degree beforehand if you want to have a chance to get your GPA to above-average levels. The DAT test is something that you can easily prepare for, and ideally, you’d only have to take it once. But, if possible, you should try to take the DAT even before you apply, during your undergraduate, as you have to wait up to 90 days between tests if you’re not satisfied with your initial scores.
2. Write a Great Personal Statement
A lot of dental schools listed here do not use dental school supplemental applications, so, you really have to impress with your initial application package. This means putting your all into your personal statement, and any other essays you are allowed to write, depending on the school. You can follow a similar formula to how you would answer the “tell me about yourself” interview question, in that you can talk about yourself and how you’ve prepared to get into dental school and to become a dentist. You can talk about a personal event that happened to you that made you decide to be a dentist, or whether you enjoy the profession for the skills and abilities its teachers you, but make sure to always back-up your emotions/feelings/passions with real-world examples of how you’ve manifested this passion or enthusiasm. You can mention what you learned when you learned how to shadow a dentist. You can also mention why you want to go to this school and what you plan to do with degree and career.
3. Do as Much Interview Prep as Possible
Interviews matter a lot in dental school admissions; any dental school admissions consulting professional will tell you the same. The reason being that few dental schools use a supplementary application to gather more information about you, the way medical schools do, so, instead, they put more emphasis on your dental school interview. A few of these schools use MMI (multiple-mini-interviews) which requires a different kind of prep, but schools are usually upfront about the interview methods they use, so make sure you know which format is used by the school and prepare accordingly. If it’s a traditional, one-on-one or panel interview, you can try doing mock interviews to prepare and refine your answer, but also to prepare yourself mentally so you can handle the pressure and nerves that might take hold on interview day.
Conclusion
Dental schools ranked on a list according to a single or various categories sounds like a good idea, but you shouldn’t take them too seriously. You should take any rankings list with a grain of salt, as it is often difficult to discern how these schools are being ranked and why. They are good starting points for you to create a list of schools. Then, through your own research and investigation, you can create a dental schools ranked list that adheres more to your criteria than an unknown, arbitrary one.
FAQs
1. How are these dental schools ranked?
We ranked these dental schools according to their most recent acceptance rates and how “easy” they are to get into based on its acceptance rate.
2. Which dental school should I go to?
You should go to a dental school that appeals to you in many different ways, from its mission, curriculum, culture and outreach opportunities.
3. What is the best dental school in the US?
Based on acceptance rate, its size, and the fact that it doesn’t have residency requirements, the NYU School of Dentistry is the best dental school in the US. The schools near the top of the list are state schools that take in only a few out-of-state applicants, whereas NYU Dentistry accepts in-state, out-of-state and international applicants.
4. What is the best dental school in Canada?
The University of Toronto, and the University of British Columbia dental schools have the best acceptance rates out of all the dental schools in Canada.
5. What GPA should I have to get into these dental schools?
Your GPA should be anywhere at or above 3.0, although that is the minimum. To be a competitive candidate, you should have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. In Canada, a grade average anywhere at or above 80 or 85% would be ideal.
6. What DAT score should I have?
Many dental schools put there minimum DAT score at or near 17 for all sections, but they may have different minimums for each section. But ideally, a good DAT score is at or above 20 as your average score.
7. What else do I need to get into dental schools?
You have to have a long list of relevant extracurriculars (community service, volunteer work, paid work as a dental professional), many dental schools also have recommended and required shadowing hours that you have to complete. As we mentioned above, interview performance is a crucial final step to getting into dental school, so you really have to put in the time to prepare for your interview.
8. How should I choose a dentalmedical school?
You should choose a dental school based on many different factors, such as the cost, variety of degree programs, location, outreach opportunities, curriculum, and faculty.
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